'Community Conversation' Recap: Building Community Among The Chaos

By Kevin Gosztola, Editor-In-Chief

On October 11, the Elmwood Park Advocate held its fifth “Community Conversation” at the Elmwood Park Public Library. Twenty-two residents joined us in the Ferrentino Meeting Room to discuss building community among the chaos and upheaval in the Chicagoland area.

We specifically addressed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and used that as way of tackling fear and anxiety in Elmwood Park and how people are dealing with feelings of indifference, mistrust, suspicion, or contempt from fellow residents when they show empathy, express concerns, or attempt to take action to defend neighbors.

The first comment expressed how tiring it is to watch this unfold. This individual has sought ways to become more involved in helping others in the community.

After that, one resident mentioned they had neighbors who he believed had “self-deported.” He mentioned that it is hard to understand all that we see “unless you are personally involved.”

“We’re only as good as what we do for our most vulnerable members,” another resident stated. She shared that her heart breaks, especially when she sees how ICE operations are carried out in such an “unbelievably frightening” manner. There’s “no accountability.”

As the conversation progressed, one participant emphasized that there had always been lax immigration laws throughout United States history. They spoke about the tradition of allowing international workers into the country to perform cheap labor. Today, it is grim to see the grandchildren of the “Greatest Generation” that served in World War II supporting these tactics.

A surreal moment was shared by a resident involving a Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department helicopter that neighbors spotted in the sky. Several neighbors had exchanged texts about an ICE sighting. Then they saw this helicopter. One person came out and shouted expletives at the sky. Another spotted the aircraft and yelled the same profanity at the sky. And then a third person reacted this way, too.

People on their block have become so angry that they are shouting at the sky, the resident added.

It was asked, where is the response from the village on what to do? What do you do for a student without a parent, if their parent is detained?

Adding to this part of the conversation, a participant said they were aware that the principal of John Mills Elementary “cares deeply” and is doing everything he can to shield students from ICE. The idea of a “walking bus” has come up, though that isn’t something that school officials believe they can support.

A walking school bus involves adult volunteers escorting students to and from school. It can help families, who may be targeted by ICE, deal with the fear of leaving their homes. (Corner watches are another tactic that has been utilized, too.)

There was a school district employee, who shared a story from October 3. This person received reports that ICE was allegedly in the neighborhood, but it was hard to verify. With a great number of students with undocumented parents or asylum statuses that could be revoked, not knowing what is true is a significant problem.

Quite a few school employees feel like there is not a lot that they can do, especially without greater support from the Superintendent Leah Gauthier and school board trustees. Still, in addition to consoling and supporting students, they are committed to reducing harm.

One other person insisted that schools must have a “safety plan in place.” That includes making sure that emergency contact information is updated.

When it was expressed that police in the schools will not allow anyone on the premise who does not belong there, there was a call for Elmwood Park police to put out a statement about what they will do if ICE is present.

Returning to the larger framing for the discussion, someone who has lived here for several years laid out the challenge: asking for a simple statement from village officials “implies a political stance.” Gardening implies a “political stance.” When a political motivation is inferred, that may effectively discourage others from acting similarly.

I paused thirty minutes into the conversation to address some ideas that were expressed about people’s politics and who is on what “side.”

To me, we have to reject this division. Let’s avoid, “oh, that’s what a Republican would say,” or, “oh, that’s what a Democrat would say.” Focus on the issue at hand. For example, ICE is tearing apart families. We have an obligation to show decency, and listen to each other as we grapple with the fear and anxiety experienced by neighbors.

Along with this sentiment, a resident recognized that no matter what actions are taken there will always be someone in Elmwood Park who views those as actions as “political.” If neighbors stay rooted in values instead of focusing on “political leanings,” that could make a difference. (They recalled that there was a school board meeting, where teachers were urged to avoid political discussions. While this could be viewed as “silencing” teachers, it also could be a call for teachers to be “mindful” of their own biases.)

It can be difficult to figure out “how people are grounded,” one participant stated. They shared a personal story about a neighborhood watch group on social media, where they had posted about ICE sightings. Their post was removed, and they were banned from the group.

I took this moment to inject another idea into the discussion, which is that sometimes you do not always know if the person you are communicating with shares your reality. You could show them verified information. If they refuse to treat it as true and accurate, there is not much you can do to try and reach that person.

To that, one individual who had a work trip in South Dakota mentioned discussing ICE operations in Chicago with a colleague. They quickly recognized that geographically we are isolated. Their coworker had “no idea that people are truly living nightmares” in this part of the country.

Someone who has been exceptionally kind and supportive of the Elmwood Park Advocate expressed their frustration with the library director. They described the newsletter as an “unbiased” and “nonpolitical news source.” The conversations have been valuable because they introduced her to a diverse range of viewpoints from within the village. In particular, they recalled one conversation, where people debated why Elmwood Park has a problem with rats.

How the library director and others associated have treated the newsletter represents a “missed opportunity to create connection.” Because “what the Advocate is doing is so much bigger than the articles.”

The conversation reached the one-hour mark, and we ended by allowing everyone in attendance the opportunity to speak about actions that they think should be taken.

Several residents agreed to exchange information and form a separate community action group that could help protect families. A few attendees spoke about meeting with school officials to discuss their concerns, and there was at least one person who suggested “Know Your Rights” fliers could be handed out.

The Elmwood Park Advocate pledged to make accurate information available that could be useful to community members as they respond to ICE’s presence in the Chicagoland area.

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Once again, the newsletter had to deal with Library Director Michael Consiglio hassling us.

The library director obtained a legal opinion from a paid library attorney at Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins to justify charging us $100 per hour to use the main meeting room. However, if you read the plain words in the library’s meeting room policy, it only lists a fee for “for-profit organizations and non-Elmwood Park non-profit groups.”

The Elmwood Park Advocate is a not-for-profit newsletter published by volunteer residents, who live in the village of Elmwood Park. This fee does not apply to us, and we believe that any library board trustee that sits by and allows our group to be charged is effectively permitting the library director to act in an unfair and discriminatory manner.

The library director should quit aligning himself with the seven to eight unnamed residents, who in his words object to “the process and rationale behind hosting [our] meetings at the library.” It is not his responsibility to take up their cause, which involves suppressing our free speech rights.

At 5 p.m. on Monday, October 13, the library board will meet in the same room that we hold our “Community Conversations.”

Please attend and participate in public comment. Show up to defend the right to freedom of speech, assembly, and the press that every Elmwood Park resident should be able to enjoy.